


way out of my depth

by deedleweedle



Category: High School Musical
Genre: Disney, Disney Channel, F/F, High School Musical - Freeform, Its just very gay, It’s got hsm1 and hsm2 vibes, Kelsi starts to fall for Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi are really good friends, as high school musical should have been, hsm, hsmtmts, i would die for Kelsi Nielsen, its just kind of a kelsi fanclub, it’s one-sided, kelsi likes Gabriella, maybe ill throw in some hsm3 vibes too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:14:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23419582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deedleweedle/pseuds/deedleweedle
Summary: “I am way out of my depth” Kelsi murmured apprehensively, staring into the bathroom mirror.Writing love ballads was easy for Twinkle Town. All she had to do was rent only crappy rom-coms non-stop for a week from blockbuster and then all of the sweet sentiments wrote themselves. The lyrics had only been romantic tropes snatched straight from the screen, coated in a small dose of her own fantasies. Maybe falling for a someone who’s heart would complete a duet with her own. But now her heart wanted to sing and it had set itself on one person in particular. One girl. One girl that was so never going to pick up the harmony with the ease that those musicals had suggested, and that’s if she ever even thought of liking her back. Why did it have to be Gabriella? Why did it have to be the person who would be singing the harmonies on these songs. These songs that Kelsi wrote with her own feelings on the line, not just the feelings of Hugh Grant in Love Actually. And she felt all of them, all at once, and all for Gabriella Montez.
Relationships: Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans, Gabriella Montez/Kelsi Nielsen, Kelsi Nielsen/Sharpay Evans
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	1. Pilot

“I am way out of my depth” Kelsi murmured apprehensively, staring into the bathroom mirror. The white tile of an East High toilet stared back at her. She couldn’t help but fear what was coming in T minus 16 minutes. Auditions for the winter ‘musicale’. Ms Darbus had called on her once more to compose songs for yet another show and Kelsi was now staring into a reflection of eyes that held pure panic. Eyes that knew that she was not ready to share her compositions with her classmates. Gabriella and Troy were the whole reason for the success of ‘Twinkle Town’. If you took away their voices, her music didn’t mean anything. And that was okay, mostly. But the notes resting beside the sink right now meant not only something but, instead, everything. 

Writing love ballads was easy for Twinkle Town. All she had to do was rent only crappy rom-coms non-stop for a week from blockbuster and then all of the sweet sentiments wrote themselves. The lyrics had only been romantic tropes snatched straight from the screen, coated in a small dose of her own fantasies. Maybe falling for a someone who’s heart would complete a duet with her own. But now her heart wanted to sing and it had set itself on one person in particular. One girl. One girl that was so never going to pick up the harmony with the ease that those musicals had suggested, and that’s if she ever even thought of liking her back. Why did it have to be Gabriella? Why did it have to be the person who would be singing the harmonies on these songs. These songs that Kelsi wrote with her own feelings on the line, not just the feelings of Hugh Grant in Love Actually. And she felt all of them, all at once, and all for Gabriella Montez. 

The intercoms chimed to deliver the message that the winter musical auditions were to start in only a few minutes and Kelsi knew this was her cue to leave and get herself to the auditorium. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with a rough paper towel from beside her. If she walked into the room looking all red, Gabriella would, for sure, ask her what was wrong. God damn it, why does she have to be so nice? She picked up her hat, now slightly soggy from sitting in a splash of water from the school’s shitty taps (disappointing but nothing new), and her sheet music and began her stressful walk to the auditorium.


	2. ep2. auditorium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: thanks so much to everyone who commented on the first chapter, i’m glad you all liked it and you inspired me to write more of this so i hope you like this second chapter too. :)

Walking swiftly through the halls, Kelsi paused for a moment to read the auditions sign up sheet, imagining how each of the singers would interpret her music. Of course there was Gabriella’s name situated so close to the signature of her boyfriend Troy that they began to morph into one. What was once Gabriella Montez became Gabriella Bolton and vice versa. It left Kelsi with a queasy feeling of parasitic jealousy. 

But it wasn’t like she hated Troy Bolton, obviously once upon a time she had felt like he was her natural enemy, with him being the school’s star athlete. Before Twinkle Town, the basketball team and the drama club would never have even thought of greeting each other with any expression other than distain but now Kelsi and Troy were what you might even call friends, as he had been her biggest champion throughout the show. This was true but it didn’t manage to convince that small flame of jealousy to back down. 

She distracted herself by reading through he other names, she had to admit she was glad when she saw Sharpay and Ryan Evan’s names signed in glittery gel pen. Kelsi had worried that after Sharpay had been forced to take on her first supporting role ever in Twinkle Town she might hold a grudge and refuse to participate in any more East High productions. It should have been clear that Sharpay could never stay away from the spotlight for too long. As for Ryan, Kelsi had known he would return for another show. He was inarguably the closest friend that she had at East High because, despite losing the last leading role to Troy, he had been one of the only cast members who stuck around after closing night. Thanks to him she now consistently had a place at the theatre kids table in the cafeteria and a constant friend who shared her starstruck admiration for Patti LuPone. 

They were all waiting for her when she arrived in the auditorium. She nervously said her apologies and took up a seat in the third row, only vaguely listening to the speech Ms. Darbus was giving about her views on bootleg recordings of broadway shows. Not more than a few seconds later Kelsi turned to her right to see Sharpay Evans shuffling up a few chairs to be seated next to Kelsi. She was looking at a copy of Kelsi’s sheet music, “Hey Kelsi, I was just wondering if all of the songs are going to be this... boring.” She paused before the last word as if looking for the perfect adjective to explain her personality relationship with the music. Kelsi chose not to acknowledge the comment. “It’s just,” Sharpay continued. “I don’t think a song this slow is just right for showcasing the full range of my abilities.”

“Who says i was writing it for you?” Kelsi replied, turning to look at Sharpay. She was wearing a glamorous bejewelled flapper’s dress and her blonde hair was in finger curls almost definitely achieved by an expensive stylist contact of her parents. The entirety of Kelsi’s show has been written to take place in a speakeasy in the 1920’s and Sharpay appeared not to have got the memo that costumes weren’t required for auditions or, more likely, she had and had chosen to ignore it. 

“Well, as it’s completely obvious that it’s written with Gabriella in mind I would have to say nobody said that.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh god, was it that obvious?

“Mm-kay” Sharpay dropped the whole thing so quick that Kelsi was shocked, but looking other as the overdressed thespian humming the tune to Kelsi’s music, it became clear Sharpay was really trying. She had had the lead role swiped out from under her last time and it had made her concentrate on what she wanted even harder than before, knowing that roles wouldn’t just fall into her lap like they had a year or so ago. 

Kelsi flicked through her notes as quietly as possible until she found the pages she needed.  
“You could try this one,” She said as she handed the unrevised sheet music to a song she had written with a slightly more Sharpay-sounding tempo. “Don’t worry, it’s also for the leading lady.”

Sharpay smiled and, taking a look at the notes, seemed relieved.  
“Thank you.”


End file.
